UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Matt Suhey, a standout fullback for Penn State from 1976-79, a Super Bowl champion across 10 seasons with the Chicago Bears and a member of the family whose name has been woven through Nittany Lion football for four generations, has died. He was 68.
Born in Bellefonte and a star at State College Area High School, he stayed home to play for Penn State, following his father, Steve Suhey, an All-America guard and College Football Hall of Famer, and his maternal grandfather, Bob Higgins, Penn State's second All-American and its head coach from 1930-48.
Over four seasons in Happy Valley, Suhey rushed for 2,818 yards and 26 touchdowns and added 39 receptions for 328 yards, helping the Nittany Lions to a bowl game in each of his four years. He scored twice in Penn State's 42-30 win over Arizona State in the 1977 Fiesta Bowl and was part of the 1978 team that finished the regular season unbeaten and No. 1 in the country before playing for the national championship in the Sugar Bowl. He earned first-team All-East honors in 1978 and 1979 and was later named to the Pennsylvania Football All-Century Team.
The Chicago Bears selected Suhey in the second round of the 1980 NFL Draft, 46th overall, and he spent all 10 of his professional seasons there, appearing in 148 games and rushing for 2,946 yards and 20 touchdowns. He is best remembered in Chicago for two things: the 11-yard run that opened the scoring in Super Bowl XX, the first touchdown of the Bears' only Super Bowl victory, and the lead blocking he provided for Walter Payton.
Suhey's brothers, Larry and Paul, both lettered at Penn State in the 1970s. His sons continued the line: Kevin Suhey was a quarterback and special teams player for the Nittany Lions from 2005-07, and Joe Suhey was a fullback from 2007-11.